Things I Miss About Argentina

We’ve now been in the United States for the last two and a half months and are quickly approaching the time of our return to Buenos Aires, so I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on some of the things that I miss most about Argentina…

Our nanny We had only recently found our part-time nanny Maria, and she has been great! With two kids, she gives us the perfect reprieve from having to give them constant attention. Unfortunately, here in Vermont nannies are few and far between. (And a lot more expensive too.) It will be so great to get back and have her help – plus, the kids miss her a lot.

Our dogs While I know they are in the good care of my brother-in-law, its hard to leave behind these furry members of the family. Still, I am quite happy that he was the one who had to walk them all winter, and I’ll get to take over as the spring arrives. Thanks, Andy!

Our housekeeperOk, so domestic help is a lot more common in Argentina than in the United States, but yes, I’m tired of cleaning up after myself. Our housekeeper is a life saver – she cleans, does laundry/ironing and even leaves the fridge stocked with home cooked meals for the week!

The “dolar blue”When we left Buenos Aires, the dolar blue was at $11.95. It’s now $14.25! This is great, but the real question (as always) is how much inflation will take a bite out of this increase, and of course, where the country will end up with their recent “technical” default. It’s always fun to leave Argentina for a few months and see how much prices have gone up.

Great restaurants Ok, so maybe we’re a bit sheltered here in Vermont and our dining experiences have mostly consisted of chains like Friendly’s and Applebee’s, but I cannot wait to get back to Buenos Aires for some fine dining! Even at the chain restaurants in the US, with a family of four, we cannot get out of there for under forty bucks. I’m still hoping that $570 pesos (U$S 40) in BA gets us an amazing meal at a top restaurant.

Ice cream We toured the Ben and Jerry’s Factory in Vermont and let me say, “Argentine ice cream has spoiled me.” I do not think good ole Ben and Jerry’s stands up to Freddo, Volta or Persicco at all. It was actually a disappointment because I used to think Ben & Jerry’s was the best.

The bidet Ok, it took me several years of living in Buenos Aires before I got comfortable with the bidet, but now that I have, I cannot imagine life without it. Is this TMI? If I ever move back to the US full time, a bidet installation will definitely be on the “to do” list for any house we live in. I’m not going to expand on this one anymore.

The city Country living has been great, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the vibrant city that is Buenos Aires, especially now that our youngest is a year old and much less of a headache. Hopefully we can actually get out of our apartment and do some more exploring now! I’m sure that going from sleeping in complete silence to sleeping in the city will take a bit of getting used to.

That’s my list.

I’m sure that after a few weeks back in BA, I’ll be posting “Things I miss about the US ” and, for some reason, I’m still pretty sure it will be quite a bit longer…